Antonelli teaches 'Bono' about 'Italian culture: 'Very emotional'
F1 News
Andrea Kimi Antonelli drove to a great fourth place results in tricky conditions last weekend in Melbourne. Out of the rookies, the young Italian managed to stand out, but of course, he did not achieve that result alone. It was Peter Bonnington, better known as 'Bono', who guided him through it.
Antonelli crossed the finish line in fourth position after starting from P16, and after a penalty and Mercedes' 'Right to Review' happened, he could eventually keep that position.
"It was a really good boost of confidence, definitely. I feel so more relaxed now. I'm not going to lie, for my first week I was a bit stressed, I was a bit nervous, because everything was new. But definitely a race like that really helps your confidence as well," Antonelli said in China, reflecting on his first Grand Prix in the competition.
With tricky conditions, Antonelli was thrown in the deep end, but overcame the difficulties. "The conditions were so tricky out there, the track was very slippery, especially at the start because the tyres were cold and obviously with all those white lines, it made the grip very low. So definitely the conditions were really tricky but I'm really happy how I managed and also how the team managed and also they've been really guiding me throughout the whole race in the best way as possible. So definitely a good boost of confidence, not too much, but definitely I feel better ahead of this weekend."
Antonelli already has a great friend at Mercedes
After Lewis Hamilton left for Ferrari, Bono now acts as Antonelli's race engineer. The Italian also said they are already on very good terms. "We get along pretty well. I'm bringing some Italian culture into this. Also, I'm a guy who likes to hug people. As Italian, we're very touchy. We're very emotional. So I'm bringing a bit into that, not too much of course because we're still in a professional environment but I'm getting along very well with him," he began about the experienced Briton.
He is also happy he can rely on a race engineer that has previously worked with champions. "I feel very lucky to have someone like him because he has so much experience, he has worked with Michael [Schumacher], he has worked with Lewis [Hamilton] for so many years, and having someone that has so much experience and so much knowledge really helps me."
He added: "Because I’m the one who has to learn so much, I have so many scenarios to face, so many new things to learn and having someone that has gone through all that already really helps you, because I know he will be able to guide me in every situation. So definitely we go along pretty well and I'm looking forward to see what we can do in the future together."
This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen
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